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[music] >> Welcome everyone to District 186 regular school board meeting. Today is Monday, June 22nd, 2026. 6:00 p.m. If we could call to order and pledge of allegiance. If we all stand up and do the pledge of

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allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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>> No, just I would just say we would approve. We're asked for a motion to approve the agenda. >> All right, board members. I'm going to ask for a motion to approve the agenda. We will be working off a revised agenda today, which includes the addition of termination and non-renewal of probationary teachers to the consent

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agenda. Is there a motion to approve approve the revised agenda? >> So moved. >> Okay. That motion was given by Sakouten. >> Seconded by Jackie. >> Seconded by Jackie. All those that approve, say I. >> I.

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>> I. >> All those opposed? Motion passes on a 5-0 vote. 6-0 vote. Okay. All right. You will notice that there is a change 5-0. >> [laughter] >> You will notice that there's a change

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today in the head today. Corey Johnson could not be here, so I am substituting as the chair today. So, there will be a little There'll be a few bumps, so have a little patience. All right. Uh next we'll move along to a recognition

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by the school board. Um at this time I would like to welcome Eastview High School Track and Field Coach Tom Sharp to the podium to recognize Eastview's third-place state finisher. >> [applause] [applause] >> Good evening, Vice Person Vice Chairperson Williams, board members, and

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Superintendent Bolsoni. I am Tom Sharp, head men's track and field and cross country coach at Eastview High School. I am honored to introduce Luke Bakken. Two years ago and in his freshman season in March, Luke was diagnosed with a broken hip.

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Had to have surgery and 8 months recovery, forfeiting his freshman track season and his sophomore cross country season. In the 18 months since, relatively successful with hard work, he was an all-state cross country runner

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this fall at the state cross country meet, and culminating as he got faster all spring at the state high school meet, where he ran 9:14 in the 3200 to take fifth and 4:13 in the 1600 for third place

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overall and the top non-senior in the 1600. Both of those are not only new school records, but also recognized by the National High School Cross Country Track and Field Coaches Association as All-American status.

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He is accompanied tonight by his parents, Tom and Kim, and I'd I ask them to stand right now. >> [applause] [applause] >> All right, we have uh an add to the agenda. We had made a mistake, so we'd like to um

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please welcome uh Sarah Hatley um and J- and Jay Hatley to the podium. They will introduce the Rosemount High School Track and Field top finishers. >> Good evening, uh Vice Chairperson

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Williams, board members, and Superintendent Bolsoni. I'm Sarah Hatley, and I am the girls track and field coach at Rosemount High School. Um my husband is the boys coach, but uh the boys couldn't be here tonight, so he is actually not here tonight.

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Um and so, I have the opportunity to talk about Abby Esler this evening. And so, um before we get going on all of her accomplishments from this track season, I I wanted to make sure that we acknowledge Abby's parents, and so her parents are right up front, so Paul and

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Stacia. >> [applause] [applause] >> And I just wanted to make sure that um I say this, you know, if I haven't said enough. We are incredibly um thankful for parents like the Eslers, because they're so supportive of our program, and um so that that makes

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things easier as a as a coach. So, now on to Abby. Uh things I love about Abby as an athlete is her fierce competitiveness, her desire for winning, and perfecting the events that she competes in. And finally, how she shows up in the big moments.

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Uh, we like to say she's a gamer. And so, uh, just talking about giving a rundown on the things that she's accomplished this season, um, and you know, the list is long. So, she is a school record holder currently in the 4 by 2 and the 4 by 1. She's not far off on that long jump. So,

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hopefully we'll be talking about that next year. Um, and so the 4 by 2 broke their school record a couple times this season, and the 4 by 1 was actually quite close, but um, she had she had gotten that record last year. And then, she personally had a uh, best

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personal best in the 100, the 200, the triple jump, and the long jump this season as a junior. In the conference meet, and and I would argue anyone on this that our conference is one of the best, most competitive conferences in the state. And she was third in the 100 meter, second 4 by 1,

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third in the triple jump, and she was the long jump champion. Um, in sections then, she was first in the long jump, second in the 4 by 2, and first in the 4 by 1. And, you know, that long jump, you know, we were

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she didn't have necessarily her her best jumps in the prelims, but again, there is that that gamer. She comes up in the big moments, and she just crushed it in finals. And so, that earned her a spot in the state meet, and so she's a athlete that got to compete in the 4 by 1, the 4 by 2, and the long jump at state.

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Um, they were sixth place in the 4 by 2, running again really fast and awesome times. Uh, they had a season best in the 4 by 1. And then, finally, let's talk about the long jump. So, I guess I saved the best for last. And we were here last year talking about her placing third in

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the state, and you know, she wasn't supposed to place last year. She was in the first heat or first flight, excuse me, and came up big again in those big moments. There's a lot of kids that don't do that. Uh the year before as a ninth grader, she ended up being sixth. Again, not supposed to be placing in the

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state meet or anything like that, and and she came up really big. So, she went from sixth to third to second place this year. And with a personal best jumping 18 ft 9 in. Yep. >> [laughter] >> And uh and like I said, she's not far off of that school record uh at our

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school. And um that was something that I I mean, I remember I was there when that school record happened. And I was thinking, "Oof, that's going to be a tough one to beat." And here we are. Here's an athlete that we're talking about that's not far off. So, I think the best is yet to come with Abby. And so, uh if we could

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congratulate Abby and all of her accomplishments. [applause] >> [applause] >> Congratulations. >> All right. Next, I'd like to invite Eagan High School Athletic Director Jason Elias to recognize Eagan High School's third-place state finisher. >> Good evening, Vice Chairperson Williams,

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board members, and Superintendent Bossone. I am Jason Elias, the Eagan assistant principal and athletic director. I'm honored to be here tonight with Ethan Wilsky. Ethan Wilsky capped off his outstanding career at EHS Wildcat track athlete with

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a third-place finish at the 800-m run at State High School League track and field meet. Over the last 3 years, Ethan emerged as a backbone of our track program. He has been named an all-South Suburban Conference athlete for 3 consecutive years and two-time all-state track and field

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athlete. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, he is a stellar scholar. He has maintained a 3.85 cumulative GPA and winning honors as an academic All-State athlete for two consecutive years.

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Ethan Ethan was also a co-captain for our cross country and track and field who led by example. Without exception, Ethan could be counted on to put forth his best effort. He is an outstanding young man who has made our program better through Ethan is here tonight being supported by

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his grandmother, Phyllis. >> [applause] >> His parents couldn't make it tonight. They're out of town. And thanks to the board and and Superintendent your support for Eagan athletics and our athletic programs and for having us tonight. Ethan Wilsky.

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>> [applause] >> All right, next please welcome Jeff Erdman, Rosemount High School girls flag football coach who will introduce this year's state championship team. >> Good evening, Vice Chairperson Williams, board members, and Superintendent Bolsoni. My name is Jeff Erdman and I'm

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here with Bree Kunkel as the varsity coaches of the Rosemount High School girls flag football team that recently won the state title in girls flag. This team went 14 and 0 and had seven shutouts along the way. The girls flag league that we participated in is in its third year and

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there were 104 high school teams across the state participating. I'm here tonight to celebrate the accomplishments of this team and to ask for your support for promoting the Minnesota State High School League to make this an emerging sport. This is the first step to becoming a state sanctioned sport. Girls flag is the

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fastest growing sport in the country and is one of the cheapest sports to offer. The past 2 years District 196 has had girls flag teams at Eastview, Eagan, Apple Valley and Rosemount High School. The Minnesota State High School League acts on behalf of schools across the state and it would be great if you as a

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board and leaders of our district reached out and voiced your strong support for girls flag football to be given emerging sport status when they vote this August. Our female athletes have gone far too long without having the opportunity to play this game. In the past 3 years our girls have

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played at halftime of a Vikings game, played at halftime of a Gopher spring football game, played on ESPN2 when we became the first team ever from Minnesota to make the sweet 16 at the national uh the NFL flag national championships in Canton, Ohio and we've won two state championships while

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recording a 35 and one varsity record. As more and more colleges are offering girls flag programs, the college college scholarship opportunities are growing every year for flag participants. Please take action for the future of female athletes in our district and across the state. Um thank you for recognizing this

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team tonight and for hopefully helping us get flag football to be a state high school league uh sanctioned sport. Tonight with us we have Abby Thielmosher, Olivia Owusu, Talia Vescio, Olivia Danner,

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Ella Olson, Ava Casper, Abby Estler, Delaney Mackin, Taylor Krieg and Greta Reichert. And they have family here as well, I believe. So. >> [applause]

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>> Thank you. >> [laughter] [laughter] >> All right. Next, please join me in welcoming Eastview High School boys volleyball coach Ryan Denali to introduce the state championship team. >> [applause] >> All right. Um

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Good evening Vice Chairperson Williams, the board members, and Superintendent Bolsoni. Um and thank you for the opportunity to recognize these boys and their families and the coaches who came with us tonight for a pretty amazing season that they accomplished this year.

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It's been an interesting one. It was interesting to follow our flag football state champions because this group up here our group this year was pretty senior heavy. And I don't think there was a single one in the group that in seventh grade was

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dreaming of playing high school volleyball. And when they were when that group of seniors were freshmen, we were all just hoping that maybe they were going to get to play at least one sanctioned season while they were still in high school. And then they found out their sophomore

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year that that was in fact going to happen that they were going to have an opportunity to do it. The group of seniors that we had uh was a pretty transformative force in our program. And I think it touched a lot of the volleyball community outside of the

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program because a lot of them are really well connected with kids from other places. And it's one of my favorite things about the boys volleyball sport community uh is it still maintains a feeling of a big family. Uh Minnesota, for those of you don't know,

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when we got sanctioned 2 years ago, we were the 29th state to sanction. And as one of the fastest growing boys boys sports sports in the country, there are now 36 states that have boys volleyball. Um adding volleyball at Eastview

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was I mean, obviously, this was pretty fun this year. It was pretty fun last year when we finished third. But when I was talking to Mr. Percival this morning, out of all of the boys that we have in

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our program from our B squad to our varsity, we have only three that are represented anywhere else in the athletic department. And so, when we lobbied that there were a lot of guys that this was going to be their moment. This was going to be their opportunity to represent their school.

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That is very, very true for the group of young men that we have. As you probably have read up, our season was a pretty special season. We had a really special group of senior boys and some great younger guys with them who came into the season on a mission. They were determined to improve on last

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year's third-place finish. And not only did they do that through being great athletes and being great skilled volleyball players, but they are one of the best group of teammates that

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I've ever been around. They have each other's back on and off the court 24/7 and the chemistry that they created is a more important part of their legacy to me and a a more valuable one to us as a

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program than their success on the court. We played the most difficult schedule in the state this year and dropped only four sets in 34 matches. We were 11 and 0 against the top 10. And

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EHS was the first ever boys volleyball program in Minnesota to achieve a top 10 regional ranking, which is across a 13-state area stretching from Kentucky all the way to through the Dakotas. Uh in addition to that, it turns out they they pay attention in class. Um

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>> [laughter] >> We've we've had our our fifth Minnesota State High School League team Gold Award this year. We had three academic all-state seniors on the team this year, which is they needed a 3.8 GPA or higher to accomplish that. And they will have gotten the AVCA

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National Coaches Award for academic performance as well. >> [applause] [applause] >> Before I introduce them, we do um I know that all of the parents representing all the athletes that are here today

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are the elite group of parents for their sports. Um but we've got some pretty awesome ones that here tonight. So, any of the EHS volleyball parents or grandparents that are here, will you stand up for a sec? Woohoo! >> [applause] >> So, with us tonight, um we have

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uh senior setter Bryce Donnell. Sophomore does mostly everything, Tatum Towell. Senior opposite, Ben Matthews. Senior middle blocker, Garrett Pasch.

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Senior outside hitter, Jonah Gustafson. Mhm. Senior middle blocker, Henry Hagen. And senior setter, Tori Richter. And then assistant coaches Brady Nathan and Rose Carlson. >> [applause]

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>> Thank you. >> Tatum. >> Thank you. >> It's Brady and Matthews. >> Congratulations. >> All right. Appreciate the trophy. >> Congratulations. Well done. >> Great job. >> Good job. >> Really impressive season. >> Yes, I appreciate that. >> Great job.

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>> Good job. >> Congratulations. >> Congratulations. >> Great job. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you so much. >> Great job. Great job. >> Thank you so much. >> Great job. >> I appreciate it. >> Congratulations. >> What a season. >> Mhm. >> All right. To conclude our recognitions, please

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welcome Rosemount High School boys baseball head coach Chris Watson who will introduce the state championship team. >> Woo! >> [applause] >> All right. Good evening vice vice person Williams, board members, and superintendent Bosoni. Um, thank you for

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having us here tonight. Um, my name is Chris Watson, the head baseball coach here at Rosemount. Um, and I'm here to thank the board, the R RHS administration, all of the Rosemount community members for their support of our state championship baseball team, and our program as a whole.

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Our motto is out of many, we are one. This group embodies every word of that mantra. This year we ended up with a 25 and five record. We are the number one seed in our section, and in the state tournament ended up beating the number one and number two seeds in the state tournament.

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More importantly, this group embodies everything good about athletics and being a great teammate. A- Anybody that came to watch our game, you wouldn't be able to tell who was hitting third, or who is coming in as a reserve. They all were pulling for each other, and as we say, pulling the rope in the same

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direction. So, it's my honor to introduce the 2026 state baseball champions. And, um, Jake Michael. Yeah. Uh, Charlie Wilinsky. Jackson Agee.

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Mason Henderson. Jack Japple. Keegan McDermott. Bennett Simmering. Evan Boll. Henry Michael. Mason Tolve. Max Williams. Nate Munson. Miles Derbilile.

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Andrew Slater. Uh, sorry. I'm going to go down my list. Ryas Hartnett. And, Colin Bloom, Ben Lillemoen, Oliver Anderson, and Cal Rooney. So, thank you again for having us tonight. >> Woohoo! >> [applause] >> Thank you, guys.

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>> Thank you, guys. >> Congratulations, guys. >> Great tournament, guys. >> Congratulations. >> Great season. >> Thank you, guys. >> Great season. Congratulations. Well done. Congratulations. Congratulations. Great season. Good job. Congratulations. Great season.

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Great season. Great tournament. Good job. Congratulations. Congratulations. Good job. Congratulations. Thanks so much. Amazing season. >> Thank you. >> Great job. Thank you. Chris, that was awesome season. Congratulations.

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>> Mhm. Next on the agenda is the Superintendent's recognition, so I'll turn it over now to Superintendent Bossen for recognition of students and staff. >> Okay, thank you Vice Chair Williams. Later tonight we'll provide a report about District 196's AAA philosophy, our commitment to academics, arts, and

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athletics, as well as a fourth A activities. And this philosophy reflects our belief that students thrive when they have opportunities to learn, compete, perform, lead, and explore their interests. The accomplishments I'm about to highlight now demonstrate the commitment in action and showcase the

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extraordinary work of our students and staff. First, congratulations to three Eastview High School students who are broadcast journalism students. They were honored with the 2026 Minnesota Broadcasters Association James Wyker scholarships.

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That is going to Lillian Bloom, Brielle Green, and Mia Noonan. They received scholarships last week at a ceremony at Target before the Minnesota State High School League Baseball Championship game. The recognition this recognition highlights their outstanding work and bright futures in journalism and

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communications. Congratulations also to all the District 196 students who competed last week at the National Speech and Debate Association tournament in Richmond, Virginia. Our district qualified 46 entries for the national tournament and had entries or students from all four

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comprehensive high schools advanced to semi-final and final rounds of competition among more than 7,000 students across the nation. We are especially proud to celebrate a national champion, Rosemount High School junior Noah Sanborn, became the first National Speech and Debate Association

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national champions in Rosemount High School history, winning the national title in original spoken word poetry. District 196 students also earned outstanding results across multiple events. These accomplishments reflect countless hours of preparation, dedication, and perseverance by our

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students and staff. We are incredibly proud of how they represented their schools, our district, the state of Minnesota, um and others on the national stage. We look forward to recognizing many of these students at a future board meeting. Next, I'd like to invite Director Hansen

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to the podium to introduce Ann Jardine, the new principal at Dakota Hills Middle School, and Tamiko Thomas, our new learn area learning ALC coordinator. >> Good evening, Vice Chair Williams, members of the school board, and Superintendent Polsoni. I'm very pleased to introduce Ann

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Jardine as the new principal at Dakota Hills Middle School. Ann began her educational career as a special education teacher in Farmington, New Mexico, and has since built a diverse background in education across the country with stops in Arizona and Maine before settling back into

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Minnesota. She has held leadership roles in the Wayzata Public Schools and Stillwater Area Schools, but most recently serving as the principal at Oakland Middle School in Stillwater. Ann has a collaborative approach with a focus on building strong relationships

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with students, staff, and families. Please join me in welcoming Ann Jardine. >> Thank you, Eric. Tonight, what an incredible visual representation of the excellence that is District 196. I will also say I think it's a sober reminder to myself to bring my A game.

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>> [laughter] >> You guys do well. Um I am humbled and thrilled to be able to be joining the District 196 and specifically Dakota Hills Middle School. Um I'm walking in behind Principal Trevor Johnson who has had so many years

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of building a foundation that is that is grounded not only in excellence, but in just thoughtfulness and love. And so feel really humbled and fortunate to be able to be walking in to the district and specifically Dakota Hills. I want to share that I have had a lot of support to get to where I've been and I

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have two of those family members here. Eric said I could bring somebody I love a lot, so I brought my mom and my dad. >> [applause] >> Thank you. >> I'm also extremely excited to introduce Ms. Tamiko Thomas as our district's new area learning center coordinator. Tamiko

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brings tremendous educational leadership experience having served in the school leadership in the Eden Prairie School District, Osseo Area Schools, and most recently the principal of Plymouth Middle School. She is a strong instructional leader with a focus on continuous improvement and strategic planning.

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Tamiko's deep commitment to student success and building strong relationships aligns well with our district strategic plan. We are thrilled to welcome Tamiko to our district and look forward to the positive impact she will make. Please join me in welcoming Ms. Tamiko Thomas.

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>> [applause] >> Thank you, Eric. Um I guess I would just start off by saying every time I mention to somebody, and I was just at a principal's conference last week, so I had an opportunity to say this a lot. They'll ask me, "Where are you going next year?" And when I say that I'm going to 196, 100% of the

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people have said, "You're joining a great district." And that is from superintendents to past students or graduates of this district to current staff that you have here um or that have been here in the district, and so I'm very excited, um, to join, um, the district as well as the ALC. The

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welcome that I have received from the current administrators of the ALC, Andrea and Michael, need a huge shout-out. They have, um, dedicated their time already to sharing a lot of insights with me regarding the ALC, um, its past, um, the wonderful foundation that they have laid, and I look forward

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to being able to continue that legacy here as I join the district, um, as well as Eric, um, for the communication over the last, um, several months. Just been really great, and, um, just feels very warm, and I'm excited to join. >> [applause] >> I'd also, uh, like to next invite

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Director Jeremy Sorenson to the podium to introduce Alyssa Schultz, our new principal at Rosemount Elementary School. >> All right. All right, good evening, Vice Chairperson Williams, members of the School Board and Superintendent Bolsoni. Uh, my name is Jeremy Sorenson, Director of Elementary Ed, and I'm here to introduce the next principal of

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Rosemount Elementary. Um, it's my pleasure to introduce Alyssa Schultz as the next principal of Rosemount Elementary. Alyssa is a familiar leader within the Rosemount community, having served as Assistant Administrator at Rosemount Elementary since 2021. Alyssa brings a strong background in

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both elementary and special education. Prior to joining Rosemount Elementary, she served as an Chief Special Education Teacher at Falcon Ridge Middle School and as a fifth grade teacher at Greenleaf Elementary. Prior to joining District 196, she began her teaching career in Naples, Florida.

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Throughout the selection process, Alyssa demonstrated a deep commitment to students, strong instructional leadership, and a clear vision for Rosemount Elementary. Her dedication to fostering a welcoming, inclusive school community, and her relationships with students, staff, and families make her well-positioned to lead at Rosemount Elementary. Please join me in

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congratulating and welcoming Alyssa Schultz as the next principal of Rosemount Elementary. >> [applause] >> I am honored and profoundly excited to be named the next principal of Rosemount Elementary. I step into this role with deep respect for the remarkable foundation established by Tom Edstrom.

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And on behalf of the entire school community, I want to express our immense gratitude for his 25 years of dedicated transformate transformative leadership, which has positively shaped the lives of countless students, staff members, and families. Having served in an administrative

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leadership role at Rosemount Elementary for the past 5 years, I've had the privilege of working alongside our exceptional educators and witnessing firsthand our incredible students. I am eager to build upon the strong school foundation with a focus on continued academic excellence, fostering a

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supportive school environment, and cultivating strong and com- collaborative partnerships with our community. As a 196 grad, a district parent, a former 196 teacher, and now principal, I understand our community's values and

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unique strengths from multiple perspectives. And I'm wholeheartedly committed to this district and look forward to leading Rosemount Elementary in its next chapter. Thank you. >> [applause] >> And that concludes my report. Thank you.

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>> Okay, thank you, Superintendent Balsamo. That brings us to the special communication request portion of tonight's agenda. We have two speakers signed up to address the board. As a reminder, special communication requests provide an opportunity for the board to listen to community members.

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For that reason, board members generally do not respond during this portion of the meeting. However, if a speaker raises a specific question, a board member or district administrator may follow up afterward. Speakers are limited to 4 minutes. To help keep the

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meeting on schedule, we use a timer at the podium. Once you come to the podium and introduce yourself, we will start the timer. When the timer begins, you will see a green light on the podium. The light will remain green until you have approximately 30 seconds remaining. At

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that point, it will turn amber. When the light turns red, please conclude your remarks. You may also hear a brief beep indicating that your 4 minutes have expired. At that time, please do conclude your remarks. Um thank you. We will now invite our

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our first speaker to the podium, which is Becky Hagen. And then Becky, if you could introduce yourself and then um just tell us your relationship to the district. >> Absolutely. >> And then we will start it once you introduce yourself and then your relationship. >> Okay.

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So, good evening, Vice Person Vice Chairperson Williams, members of school board, Superintendent Balsamo. Um my name is Becky Hagen. I've um here on behalf of the Eastview Community Foundation. Um I am the grants chairperson, and so

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um the Eastview Community Foundation is uh it connects the business and communities um to the school through three primary um ways. Um, student scholarships for graduating seniors, staff grants, and our Random

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Acts of Kindness Program. And so, today I'm here on behalf of the grants program to present, uh, the recipients of the grants for this year. So, I'm just going to briefly tell you their proposals and, um, who who was rewarded, um,

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for their for their proposals this year. Um, so, Scott Hallens Middle School, um, received four grants. Um, Nicholas Vogel, uh, proposed, um, um, to support PBIS, as positive behavioral

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intervention, at Scott Hallens with a mobile cart that can bring, um, rewards and tools and fun incentives to the students right where they are. Um, and we selected this because it reflects a student-centered approach to engagement and removes barriers and supports

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diverse learner needs. And so, we're very excited to support him in that. Um, and he also, um, proposed, um, a monthly teacher recognition program. So, um, a similar, um, program for teachers to help with offset

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their out-of-pocket classroom supply costs, um, and just encourage teachers and help them to know that we're supporting them. Um, Courtney McNeal, um, applied for a grant to purchase, um, physical keyboards for their, um, the

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English department so that students when they're typing on their Chromebooks, it's a little bit, um, difficult sometimes to type longer things. So, she's got a shared classroom set now that she can use for that. And so, that's exciting for those students and helps a large number of students

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throughout the day. And then, um, Christine Tilstra, um, had a broken kiln in her art department. And so, we are donating toward the purchase of a new kiln. And so, that's exciting. We all have, um, memories of

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you know, kids bringing things home from that >> [clears throat] >> kiln and we'd like to continue that being a part of their community. For Eastview, the HOSA club, which is the Health Occupation Students of America, is building a library for their

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members there. So, we wanted to support their health care careers and we need more people working in those areas. So, we're excited to support that. And then Carla Bisco at Oak Ridge Elementary

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proposed a reading resource library with decodable books and readers theater materials, which will help about 300 students per year. So, we're very excited because engaging students in reading and building strong readers is

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one of the main things we want to do for the district. So, that's exciting. And then um the final grant went to Community Education. Marsha Shrout is hosting a parenting conference called Fostering Resilience and that will be held at

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Eastview High School. And so, we wanted to support her in that endeavor and it will give families practical tools for supporting children's behavior, mental health, and technology use. So, we're just very excited to be able to support the community with whatever

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funding we can do and these teachers with their great ideas. So, thank you for letting me present today. Thank you. >> [applause] >> All right, next up is Ayantu Benea or Benya?

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Benya. We'll just take a moment. I'm not the only one who's on a learning curve today. I think you're ready. Okay, if you could start by saying your name and then your association with the district, that would be great before we start. And then um once you do that, we will then begin

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the timer. >> Okay. Um my name is Ayanda Sibanda. I'm a senior in Eagan High School and I'm representing my sister, Sibanda, who is an upcoming freshman. I am here today to respectfully request that you reconsider the decision

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regarding my younger sister, Sibanda, who is scheduled to enter ninth grade this coming school year and has been informed that she will not be able to attend Eagan High School. Eagan High School has been an important part of my family's educational journey. All my brothers and one of my sisters attended Eagan High School and

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successfully graduated. As the youngest member of our family, Sibanda hopes to continue this proud family tradition. In addition to our family's strong connections to Eagan School, Sibanda has become actively involved in the Eagan community. She has participated in cross country and summer

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basketball programs, where she has developed meaningful friendships and established connections with many students who will be entering ninth grade this year. These activities have helped her build a sense of belonging and community within Eagan. The transition to high school is a

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significant milestone for any student. Having the opportunity to attend school alongside classmates she already knows will provide Sibanda with a strong support system during this important time. Requiring her to attend a different school would mean starting over socially and emotionally, despite the

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relationships and connections she has worked hard to build. Family support is also an important consideration. As her older sister currently attending Eagan High School, I would be able to help guide and support her through the challenges and opportunities that come with beginning high school.

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Sibanda is a dedicated student, a positive role model, and an active participant in her school and community. I'm confident that she would contribute positively to Eagan High School and represent the school with pride and integrity. Thank you for your time, consideration, and commitment to the students and

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families in our community. I respectfully ask that you reconsider Sumantu's placement and allow her the opportunity to attend Eagan High School. Here with us today, I have Sumantu's friends and family. Thank you. >> Board members, this brings us to the

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consent portion of our agenda. We have 24 items on our consent agenda. Those items include minutes of the June 8th, 2026 special school board meeting, minutes of the June 8th, 2026 regular school board meeting, quarterly advertising revenue,

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advertising revenue, gifts, quarterly gifts, grants, summary of claims for May 2026, schedule of investments for May 2026, additional services assignment assigned assignment for bond construction coordinator, investment

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instru- I'm going to slow down a little bit. Investment schedule of investments for May 2026, additional services assignment for bond construction coordinator, investment instruments, depositories for

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investment of funds, official depositories of checking accounts, electronic fund transfers, certified census, personnel, employment agreement probationary extension, agreement for student teaching with Grand Canyon University, community education

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substitute and temporary employment wage rates, employment agreement additional FTE, FastBridge Universal Screening Assessment Platform contract, appointments to budget advisory council, EduLog routing software, GPS and

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tablets, and termination and non-renewal of probationary teachers. Are there any item items on the consent agenda that board members would like to remove tonight? Okay. Um at this point, I'd like to approve

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I'm going to ask for a motion to approve to approve the consent agenda. >> So moved. >> Second. >> So, that was Robin. Seconded by Leah. All those in favor of passing? >> Aye. >> Aye. >> Aye.

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>> All those opposed? Motion passes on a 5-0 vote. All right. Now, we are on to uh reports. So, first on the agenda is uh Spring FASTBridge Literacy Report

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presented by Jeremy Sorenson, the director of elementary education, and Steven Belkemp, research, assessment, and analytics coordinator. >> All right. Good evening, Vice Chairperson Williams, members of the school board, and Superintendent Bolsoni. My name is Jeremy Sorenson. I'm

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the director of elementary ed. Uh so, we are here tonight this evening to present the year-end summary of our FASTBridge universal screening results in literacy. Purpose of this presentation is to share a summary of our district results, as well as how we responded to the data this year and in the year ahead.

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Uh this presentation is informational only, and there is no action for the board to take. At this time, I'm going to introduce Steven Belkemp, our coordinator of research, assessment, and analytics to help share the results. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Director Sorenson. Good

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evening, everyone. So, recall that universal screening really helps us see value eight the effectiveness of our tier one instruction. And when we say tier one instruction, I'm going to say it a lot, think of that, that's our core classroom instruction that all students have

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access to every day. So, screening is really our systems measurement. The information in this presentation aligns with our achievement strategic priority because screening results monitor our efforts to strengthen and align curriculum and

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instructional practices across all classrooms in order to improve student outcomes and increase staff efficacy. So, before we dig in, just a reminder that this is our third year using FastBridge as a screener for grades K

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through 6. Further, this is the second year with the new elementary literacy curriculum. And tonight, just for brevity, I'm really going to focus on district results disaggregated or broken down by grade level. In practice, we break down

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data in all different ways, by race and ethnicity, by student groups such as special ed or students um multilingual students. And you have seen that at some of our special board meetings with data walks, but tonight we're going to focus just at the highest level.

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So, to begin, here are the literacy results for our kindergarten and first grade students. The graph on the left highlights proficiency levels across this school year with trends from fall, winter, and spring administrations. The purple portion of the graph indicates students who are likely to be

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proficient, and the shades of pink are some risk and high-risk students who are not likely to reach proficiency by the end of the year. You'll notice a dip in proficiency in the winter, followed by a slight rebound in the spring. This is the same trend we have seen over the

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past three years. That large winter dip is driven by the nonsense word subtest, which is a skill we hadn't started teaching yet. So, to fix this, what we are going to adjust our scope and sequence for next year to give students earlier exposure

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to these skills. By doing so, our winter proficiency data will much more accurately reflect our instruction and student learning. It's also important to note that the fall, winter, and spring tests are all different and the expectations for

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proficiency increase as the years goes on. So, overall, the drop in proficiency from fall to spring suggests that some of our students are not growing quite as quickly as we would expect. However, when we reviewed school level data, we

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noticed that elementary schools with strong curriculum implementation are not seeing that dip from fall to spring. This is critical data for us and it directly informs the adjustments we are making for next year, which I'll get to in a few slides.

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So, finally, the graph on the right compares our spring level proficiency year over year over the past 3 years. You'll see we've made steady 1% increases in the percentage of students showing grade level proficiency each spring. Before digging into our response to the

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data, I do want to highlight um there's a lot of celebrations tonight. I want to make time for some celebrations as well. First, one way we define a strong MTSS model is when 80% of students are able to show proficiency

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with tier one instruction alone. Again, I mentioned tier one instruction. That's that core classroom instruction that all of our students access every day. This spring, we have the highest number of K1 classrooms reaching that 80% threshold.

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Second, our schools that were early adopters to professional learning communities or the as well as the new tier one literacy curriculum, have shown great year-over-year growth. So, the slide you see is just two of our

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elementary schools. I could have shown you quite a few more, I'll be honest with you, with excellent growth over the past few years. So, the graph on the left, you see a 13 percentage point increase from 2024. The graph on the right, you can see a 17 percentage point

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increase um from spring 2024 levels. Again, that's for our kindergarten and first grade classrooms. So, now I want to share what's our action plan for responding to this data. We piloted a new writing curriculum for grades K K through 2, and we will fully

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implement that next school year. We're adding this because we identified a clear need for more explicit writing and grammar instruction, as well as more comprehensive coverage of the writing standards in general. Classroom teachers will be trained on this new curriculum in August.

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Second, after the winter screening results came in, our instruction and achievement staff surveyed kindergarten teams at specific schools that did not see that fall to winter dip. We learned what is working in those classrooms. We listened to teachers, and

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our plan to replicate those strategies district-wide next year. Specifically, we're going to adjust our kindergarten focus to include more immediate teaching of letter sound correspondence, along with additional time for practice. We're also adding instructional time for phonemic

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awareness, and for the first um for the first trimester, all kindergarten teachers are going to use the Hegarty curriculum as a 10-minute warm-up into their WIN time for interventions. And then the last point here, as I mentioned earlier, we're adjusting the scope and

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sequence for kindergarten next year to ensure that our winter screening results more accurately reflect the work, the instruction, and the student learning. So, in summary for kindergarten first grade, we've seen small steady increases in the year-end proficiency.

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There are more and more pockets of excellence, I like to describe them as, that are continuing to emerge within our schools and within our classrooms. As we look to next year, we're going to closely monitor the adjustments I just outlined um to mitigate that mid-year

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dip as well as ensure all of our students stay on track. So, now as we move um to grades 2 through 10, let's talk about some of those trends. As a reminder, the shades of purple are our students who are on track to be proficient.

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The shades of pink are students who are not likely to be proficient by the end of the year. So, I'm happy to report that we saw a three percentage point increase during this school year, which you can see on the left graph. Very similar on the right graph, that's

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year-over-year trends over the past three years. And we saw a three percentage point increase each of those years. So, I'm happy to report for our students in grades 2 through 10, we met our goal to increase literacy proficiency rates by 3%.

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Um here is the breakdown of that student group of grades 2 through 10 a little bit more. Um these graphs show spring level proficiency rates over the past three years. We have this longitudinal data for grades 2 through 6 only as a reminder,

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Pass Bridge is new for grade 7 and above this year. Um you can see grade 2 um saw growth, dips in grades 3 and 4, and then really strong growth in grades 5 and 6. Um and one other celebration I want to highlight that's not shown on this graph

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is the the literacy growth of our Avid Excel students. So, just some background, Avid Excel is a specialized middle school program designed to accelerate academic language acquisition and college readiness for our English learners. Those are our EL students. So,

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when we look at FastBridge data district-wide of just our EL students, schools that have the Avid Excel program saw the highest growth rates. And so, that is a major celebration for our multilingual learners. All right. So, how have we responded and

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how will we respond? So, first at the elementary level, we implemented a day six, which gives teachers additional time for tier one re-teaching and extension into the schedule. The focus on that day six is focused

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specifically on phonics and morphology. This allows teachers to have the flexibility to better meet student needs and never feel like they're behind the schedule. Um next, we provided all teachers with PD and resources to support the tier one

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instruction of multi-syllabic words in their classrooms. This professional learning included all content area teachers at the secondary level, not just our English language arts teachers. Um this need was identified through the CAPT Read Basics literacy diagnostic

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test you likely have heard of throughout this year, and we administered that to all students in grades 4 through 12. As we look ahead, adjustments are being made to increase phonics instruction for our third graders next year. That was one of the grades that did have a little bit of a dip. And we're going to provide

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additional supports in WIN intervention time for our on-track students to increase their comprehension skills. And then the last bullet point there, um we will adopt Read Act approved literacy intervention curriculum at all of our

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levels next year. Um that's going to really support moving our high-risk students towards proficiency. So, to summarize the second half, the screening results in grades 2 through 10 met our goals. Um, so we're confident these adjustments I just outlined will continue to improve our tier one

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instruction as well as our tier two intervention models. So, as I start to close this out here, um, I shared literacy results tonight as that has been our primary tier one our core instruction focus this year. As our efforts expand to math, we look forward

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to sharing those in the years ahead as well. Um, so looking ahead to next year, we will continue to screen all students in grades K through 10 with the FastBridge literacy and math. Um, we are also going to pilot It's kind of like FastBridge's sister product. It's called

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STAR at both SES and ALC. This product's a little bit more aligned to the high school curriculum and model. And so, we're going to determine if this tool is really appropriate for our system. And when I say that, what do I mean? We're going to look at how well does it

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predict ACT proficiency as well as the results, how useful is that to our teachers throughout the school year to inform their instruction. And lastly, I'm excited we're going to continue to increase our staff's efficacy with data

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and assessment literacy. When they have screening results, how do they use them? And you as a board even, you know, got to experience a little bit of that in some of the special board meetings. So, we look forward to rolling out more of that continued uh learning for our

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educators at our data days next year. So, that's it. So, I'm going to stick around. I appreciate your attention um this evening. If you have any questions for me or Director Sorenson, we're happy to handle them right now. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you so much. Uh,

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first I'd like to ask are there any questions or comments from the audience? All right, having none, are Are questions or comments from the board? Yes, Zakarian. >> Uh just wanted to say thank you for the update. It's always interesting to see

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you guys give us all the input and the data to how we could improve outcome, right? Uh it looks that the FastBridge is working. I mean, it's administered three times. And uh

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what we have seen is that it's been used as it's informing our educators to uh how we can better uh put good strategies at work. What I wanted to find out is that how

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uh in a way that uh how are we going to monitor those strategies that we put in place? It's given three times, right? So, like a summer uh and a spring and winter. When we put a strategy in place, sometimes it needs time to work to work

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it, right? To know if it's working or not. So, is it good enough time to uh know if a strategy uh you know, is working or if it's the result of it, you know, when to discontinue or continue that strategy

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given, you know, you know, the time time span. >> Yeah, um that's a good question and I'll say as we're monitoring the things we're implementing, we're not just going to use FastBridge. We have a we're collecting data all the time. Progress monitoring or formative data throughout

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the school year to really check responsiveness. Um you know, are students making improvements? Especially with, you know, when we're intervening on a specific skill in an intense manner, we want to see, you know, pretty strong rates of improvement. So, we'll

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certainly use screening, but I'll say we're actually monitoring it even more closely with that with classroom data, with data that teachers look at in their PLCs. Um so, so I'd say yes, we'll look at screening data, but we're going to look at it even more closely um,

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throughout the school year as it's happening. Sorenson, I don't know if you want to add any more to that. >> You summed it up You summed it up really well, and I think it's a great question. Our teachers are monitoring things um, on a weekly basis as part of the curriculum provide some of those those pieces. So, we are looking at it really closely. The

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FastBridge gives us a district-wide view three times a year, and I think that's the advantage of it. >> And a quick follow-up with this uh, new pilot program, the STAR. Is it going to be in conjunction with the uh, FastBridge? Or is it uh,

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only going to apply I mean, you said it in high school, but would it be like a multiple applied to the same time? >> Yeah, so the I think you're referring to like fall, winter, and spring administrations. Yeah, it it's designed exactly for that.

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Again, that allows us to measure growth, too. Obviously, we measure proficiency, but throughout the year we really want to look at growth. Are students growing? And so, STAR it's a very similar tool. We'll talk about risk level, all of that stuff. So, yeah.

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>> Thank you. >> Leah. Um, so I I really appreciate hearing some of the lessons we're learning and what's working. Um, so I was going to ask you Jackie to help me solve a little bit of the mystery of what a PLC is, except we don't know what

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the P is. So, it's a learning community. >> Professional. >> Professional. Obviously professional. Um, so so that's one of the things that you named the early adopters of professional learning communities, and then also the

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AVID program, and and I don't know if you can speak to sort of how how then if we know the significance of of things like that, can we get that That's of more across the board? >> Yeah, so I'll speak to PLCs first. So, um, and good question. We're full of

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acronyms, so thank you for asking [laughter] that, right? Professional retire best to not put those in there, but oops. So, professional learning communities. So, that's a term you may have heard for a very long time, but I think we're re- rebooting them as a way I would say that. We've structured them

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very systematically and we're tying them to our our data framework and we're tying them to our curriculum. So, our I&A team has done a really good job of providing some frameworks. So, we're teaching data literacy through our our professional learning communities with our with our teachers. Um so, they are looking at real-time data. Kind of to

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Jessica Ogden's question earlier, they're looking at real-time data really frequently um around core materials and making adjustments kind of on the go. So, we are monitoring that and that's one of the things when we went out and interviewed schools that were making growth and proficiency, they were really

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using their PLCs proficiently and doing them in a certain way. So, that's something we're continuing to monitor and continuing to support schools with implementing. >> Jackie. >> I was I'm sorry. The AVID Excel program that's at three of our six middle schools. Um that is something this I

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would say this is the first year the first time we saw, "Oh, wow, we have some metrics saying this appears to be working." I'd say we're going to continue to monitor and maybe make plans in the future to adjust, but for right now, we're going to keep it at three of those middle

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schools. Um it is a national program. So, yeah. >> Thank you. >> That was going to be part of my question was about the increasing AVID program, but I really like to thank you for pointing out where we can celebrate, where we have celebrations cuz sometimes we look at data and we go, "Well, where

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should we where should we increase? Where should we increase?" But, we've really had some celebrating um points here pointed out. Um I like the action plan cuz we've seen something now we can say, "What did we see? What can we do? What's working? What needs to be what what do we need to

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change?" And it really calls on our staff to be really much more nimble than they've been in the past. You can't anymore say, "Well, I taught them, but they didn't learn." It's now it's I taught them and how can I re-teach them so they they do learn.

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So, I'm really impressed. I think this is really we finally got to a place where we have data that actually we can use. I mean, I've been in a PLC for years and years and years and sometimes you're just like well, what do kids

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Does it Is it working? You know, we're doing word walls, we're doing this, or we're doing this. And is Is it helping? And this way, you really got data and you really know, and you can go back to those schools. What did you do? What What What worked? Why is it working here and it's not working as well in other

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places. So, thank you to everyone and especially to our staff for being so nimble and making changes and making it making it celebration places for all students. Thank you. >> Robin. >> Um I have a clarifying question about

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the Avid Excel program. I'm a big believer in the Avid program and a huge fan of it. I think it's great that it's working in three of our middle schools, but is there a reason why we wouldn't be, you know, moving it to all six if

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it's a successful program? >> Director Hansen to the rescue. >> [laughter] >> No, I'm learning this as as well and uh if something's working and it's moving the needle and it's creating results, we certainly want to explore and and expanding it. When he said we weren't doing it, that's for this coming fall at this point. Um there's some scheduling

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implications to that, but certainly we want to learn from other schools and and have all six middle schools have success like that. >> Perfect. Thank you. All right, anyone else? Um I would like to I have a couple of questions. Um but I do want to I do have a comment. Um,

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I'm so excited about this and thank you so much. Um, as a board, I think we've all been hungry for uh data that is um not data for data's sake, but data for advancing um

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the success of students and we were many of us were excited when the RIDA came out because we believed in in the approach and um and saw proficiency really as a solution to so many of our kiddos um

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um I don't want to say problems, but challenges in education. And so having so many tools that are actually helpful and for for the teachers and for the students and for families, it's really exciting to see how you've been able to

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um utilize them in such a way um that is helpful for us as a board to see how resources are being used, how your talents and the strategy is is actually uh supporting um uh the resources that we have and is

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being used strategically and um and how you as leaders are are taking that. And so we really appreciate that. And we're not experts in this. You are the experts and for letting us ask questions and helping us um understand it. That's really helpful for

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us as well cuz we want to support this. Um, so thank you for that. Um, and thank you for also helping us understand what you've been doing um to support this and then what the next steps are. That's really helpful. I love that what you're starting and what

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you're continuing to doing. I did have a question. Have you stopped anything? Have you as you are, you know, looking at this and and and modifying, have you eliminated anything? I always like to think of that start, stop, continue. Have you eliminated anything recently based on

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some of the things that you learned this last 20 25 26? >> Yeah, I I get So, I think that's a good question. I am going to go back. Um recently is relative. You know, we we It's It's hard to underestimate the amount of change we've asked our teachers to go through. I mean, we

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eliminated a whole assessment framework before we adopted this only 2 years ago. We've eliminated large numbers of curriculum and intervention resources prior to this. Things that people were very used to and had done for a very long time. So, we are still um supporting people with the the new

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materials even though it's the second year. So, we we did move away from a lot of that and I still think people like to fade back to that. So, we're still helping people remind people what our current tools are. So, that's that's definitely some of it. Um In terms of changes, we've changed scope

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and sequence like kind of moved things around timing and pacing. Um for the literacy curriculum, we have two pieces. We have a foundational piece. So, it's functional phonics in the K1 and 2. And then it's functional morphology 3 4 5. And then we have EL Open Up which is kind of our knowledge building. So, you

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can think more of whole books and things like that. It has several modules. We've moved away from a few modules um cuz EL Open Up provides I think four or five modules and there's not enough time needed to get through all of them. So, we've tried some and gotten feedback from teachers. And we've moved away from some modules and introduced other ones

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in specific grade levels. Um there's a lot of overlap between EL Open Up and some of our science. So, feedback again from teachers, we've moved away from some of those pieces so we are hitting more standards. So, we have moved away from things. I I would have to talk with I need to get a comprehensive list, but we have gotten feedback and we've moved

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away from certain modules because of experiences or just uh matching them with standards and things like that. So, it's a good question. We're constantly looking for things to to to take off of people's plate. >> Love it. You don't even have to get into the details. It just helps me understand. I think Robin's brought this up before. It's

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It's when we add things, right? We just it's helpful for us to know what are we eliminating, too. We don't We to know the details. Just that there's some elimination, so it helps us kind of feel better that we're not just adding, adding, adding. We trust that you're not adding, but it's helpful for us to know

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that yeah, we're taking some things away. That's all. And we trust you. And we trust you, but it helps us to know just a little bit. >> for us to be thinking about that. >> Yeah. Yes. Um and then lastly, well, these two are kind of tied. Um

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how did you identify those schools that you were going to be kind of those early adopters? And then second, what are those early adopters saying about now that they've been doing this for a few years? >> Yeah, I'll share generally and you can clean up whatever I I mess up. I mean,

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we used the data to identify schools that we were going to go and talk to. Schools that were making a lot of growth, schools that were gaining proficiency. And when we look at that, we don't have specific school names, but across the continuum of schools that we have, all of our schools were making different types of growth. So, you know,

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a Southview or Echo Park and um uh a Red Pine, all different types of schools were were making tons of growth. So, we went out and interviewed I and A went out and interviewed those teaching staffs and and and there's patterns of things. So, again, fidelity to our PLC,

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so using that that data, so the FastBridge screeners, but the weekly data that they pull. Um that we are doing WIN, so kind of fidelity to WIN, so sharing kids and really targeting skills. Um particularly in the primary grades, sometimes that's harder for people to get their heads around sharing

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kids, can they make all those transitions? But we're really finding out that they can if we put those routines in and and put things like that. Um fidelity to the core curriculum, so keeping up with pacing. That's why that day six that Steven talked about is kind of an extra day so people can take time to catch up. We found that schools that were farther

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along on scope and sequence um had better results. Um working PLCs together as a community, kind of maybe together in the in the media center. So, all grade levels are working together, you have access to your coaches, your interventionists, as as to we're going to go off in a separate room. So, we're

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trying to replicate those kinds of things. Um and then we also took feedback, particularly in the primary grade. So, we're helping to build common schedules for all of our schools instead of them doing it on their own. And things that we took from primary grades is maybe introducing a little more play time, right? Our kindergarten teachers wanted

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that and it's really important. So, we are putting that into the schedule this year. Um our our intermediate grades wanted a little more free reading or choice time. So, we're putting that into the schedule as well. So, we went out and talked to to schools where we saw growth going and we wanted to hear their feedback, too, um and what they were

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doing. >> So, if I can summarize that, it was you were you kind of did a readiness assessment to see if they kind of had the infrastructure or the readiness mindset for it because they were more likely to be early adopters or adopters. And then under that's kind of what you're saying. >> Yep.

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>> Okay, perfect. Um and then what are they saying? >> Well, some of those things that I just said this so they're they're you know, when they when you see growth, it kind of motivates them to keep going with the the curriculum, um and the WIN and those kinds of things. So, really using their interventionists to help

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create WIN groups, to help kind of PLCs so you can see what kids are getting and not getting and then going back and reteaching that. So, again, they're they're talking about those pieces. >> Okay. So, you're just looking at their behavior and the behavior is supporting it. Got it. Okay. Thank you. That's it. Thank you.

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>> Thank you. >> All right. Uh next is the Triple A report, which is presented by Eric Hanson, Director of Secondary Education, Pete Roback, Principal of Rosemount High School, Polly Rycowski, Principal of Eagan High School, Bill Blatsam? >> Blatsam.

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>> Blatsam? Dang it. Sorry, Bill. Principal of Apple Valley High School and Matt Percival, Assistant Principal of Eastview High School. >> Okay, thank you. Good evening, Vice Chair Williams, members of the School Board and Superintendent Polsoni. Tonight, we'll be providing our District

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196 Triple A report we will where we will highlight the district's commitment to academics, athletics, and arts as well as a fourth A activities. This report is informational only and reflects our commitment to providing a well-rounded educational experience

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showcasing the hard work of our high school students, the dedication of the staff, and the collaborative spirit that drives excellence in every area. We are excited to share high-level information and continue you to foster a culture of learning, competition, and

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creativity. A handout has been provided to summarize the information presented in tonight's report and includes a few additional details for further context. Joining me tonight are Dr. Polly Reikowski, principal of Eagan High School, Mr. Bill Blattner, assistant principal

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of Apple Valley High School, Mr. Matt Percival, athletic director and assistant principal at Eastview High School, and Mr. Pete Robeck, principal of Rosemount High School. Our commitment to the Triple A philosophy, academics, arts, and athletics, aligns directly with the

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vision of our strategic road map. We strive to engage students through a variety of opportunities in academics, arts, and athletics. Guided by our core values, student-centeredness, wellness, achievement, collaboration, and community, these core values are at the

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center of our work. We believe that providing multiple opportunities for our students to engage and connect with their school allows for growth in many areas including social connections, personal confidence, perseverance, and accountability.

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All the while by being led by a teacher, a caring adult, or a coach who provides encouragement and support. At this time I'd like to welcome Dr. Polly Reikowski, principal of Eagan High School, and she will share information about our first A, academics.

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>> Thank you and good evening. Vice Chairperson Anna Williams, members of the school board, and Superintendent Bolsoni. We are delighted to be able to come and just give you this very high-level overview of how we are

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functioning with the AAA philosophy that has been adopted and embraced, I should say, by our district. Of course, we could tell you so many things about achievements that students are making and growth, as you've heard, not only in proficiency in reading, but

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growth as individuals who have excelled in so many ways in our high schools. The reputation we have as a school district for very, very high academics is justified when we look at the achievements of our students. So, to give you a little bit of a

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highlight overview of academics, let's look at the fact that 3,424 students, that's about 36 and 1/2% of our students in our high schools, are enrolled in one or more advanced placement class. Now, remember the AP

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classes start being offered now in ninth grade and move into many, many of them being offered before the students graduate. Some of these students are taking one, some are taking more than one, and we have some that are taking as many as four at a time.

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This is about a 4.5% increase from last year in the number of students enrolled. We have barrier-free enrollment in our classes, and we honor that in our school district, that parents and students can

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make the best choices for their young people, and we support that in every way we can to let them excel, and hope for them um the opportunity to really challenge themselves in high school.

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Nearly 1,500 students participate in college-level coursework through a variety of things, including college in the schools, which is offered mostly by the University of Minnesota, and typically to 11th and 12th graders, but there are

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some of them that are open to 10th grade. And also the post-secondary enrollment option. So, we have 948 students enrolled in college in the schools at the high school level. And post-secondary enrollment, we have a

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little over 500 students. Some of them take one course at a college or university, some take two, and some are full-time. So, they may also be enrolled in our school while they're enrolled as a post-secondary student. 3,376

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students um completed nearly 6,000 advanced placement exams in the month of May. That's 2 weeks full of testing. Some students, again, taking as many as three or four advanced placement tests during

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that time. We don't know the results yet. They come out in July, but I can tell you that without even this year's scores and this year's results, we already have hundreds of them that are identified as AP

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scholars at various levels. That number will grow greatly after the July results are published. 47 National Merit Scholars are recognized, and you met many of them at the board meeting in October, um across our district 196 high schools.

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Just a reminder, that's based on the preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Tests taken um in the fall of their junior year. We already know our high scores for next fall, and in the month of September, we'll learn about our

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commended and semifinalist students. Seniors have earned more than $500,000 in local scholarships. So, these would be scholarships offered by our foundations in our communities, our businesses, uh various other programs

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such as elementaries offering a scholarship for a senior who attended their school. Many, many opportunities are out there. Also, there's a significant number of students who are offered scholarships for academics as well as for other

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things in colleges and universities across the country. Finally, and again, this is a very high-level overview, 5,640 students at the high schools are enrolled in at least one career and technical education or CTE scores

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course. Now, we know that we have put a lot more of our energy into CTE scores courses. Not only the ones that are offered for juniors and seniors at our two-hour blocks offered at our various school

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campuses, but also all of the uh um CTE courses that are offered are part of our curriculum from grade grade ninth grade on. But, this number reflects the ones who are two-hour blocks offered year-long for the most part in our high schools.

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We're very proud of the fact that that program continues to grow and uh um as Anna Williams mentioned, sometimes you drop some things to add others. That has been true of CTE in our school district. There have been courses that

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were very popular and became less uh popular and less useful, and others that have just soared, and uh we can barely keep up with the enrollment. So, we're really proud of the fact that our schools are doing a great job academically, that our students are

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excelling, and we know while we always have room for growth, we're happy with the outcome that we're achieving, and we'll continue to work very hard to make that even better. Thank you. Next up, I believe is uh

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Mr. Bill Blatzheim who is going to speak about the second A. >> Thank you, Dr. Eikens. Good evening, everybody. My name is Bill Blatzheim. I'm an assistant principal at Apple Valley High School. When we talk about our schools, the arts are often our community's front door.

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I've seen a number of you at Apple Valley High School at musicals, at Broadway. I know you've attended at the other schools as well. I've a number on on the slides of of 40,000. That's just an estimate. There's no way to know exactly how many people come into our buildings for for arts um but I just kind of did my best guess at, you know,

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how many people come to the musical at each school and everything else. But it it's a lot. It's a lot of people who find their way into our buildings. Um and and an arts event can be the number one reason that they step into our buildings every year. We see a vibrant continuum of talent at every single grade level from the pure

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charm of an elementary concert right up to the elite near-professional caliber of productions like Broadway, Bravo, Encore, and Onstage. One of my favorite examples of the collective impact on our community is our senior citizen previews. Um they're absolute magic. In a world

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where adults love to complain about the younger generation, these previews can completely rewrite that narrative. Our seniors walk out of our theaters in absolute awe of what our students are capable of every year. Behind those performances is a constant

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parade of excellence and recognition. You meet these students at meetings all year long and I'm blurring the arts and activities mock trial deck. You've met them. You're going to meet speech students at the meeting in in in July. Um across the district, we continue to boast over 40 all-state musicians,

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nationally recognized marching bands, major standout performers at the Hennepin Arts Spotlight Showcase. Uh just last week on the national stage in in Virginia, 46 of Minnesota's 192 total entries at the National Speech and Debate Association were District 196

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students. Of those 46, 14 of those students made it to the semifinal round, which is the top 14 in the nation. That means just over 7% of the nation's speech semifinalists were from right here in District 196,

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and that's that's kind of crazy. Um none of this happens by accident. It's a true team effort across our entire district. Students put in countless hours of practice, and our community consistently shows up to champion them. Woven through all of it is the intentional work of our faculty and

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staff, who spend hours thinking creatively about how to expand programming so it's accessible to as many students as possible. They design all of these programs to have low walls and high ceilings. So, while we love to celebrate those students on that national stage, we

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celebrate equally the senior who was encouraged by a coach to try speech for the very first time this year. They pushed through their nerves, and maybe by the end of the season they were a novice division finalist, and that's a big, big deal. Or the student who signed up for a dance class, and by the end of the year stepped out onto a stage to

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perform in front of a live audience for the very first time in their entire lives. Those are big, big deals. Because of this entire ecosystem of support, our students get to connect with local and national professionals. They build lifelong core memories, and they learn well beyond the traditional classroom

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bell. But perhaps the ultimate takeaway passed down in these spaces is that there are no shortcuts. In a world increasingly dominated by instant gratification, quick fixes, AI prompts, and more, you still can't fast-track memorizing your lines, or

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practicing an etude, or mastering your choreography. You have to put in the work. The arts represent just one of the many powerful spaces in District 196 where when intentional supports are built and barriers are removed, students have the runway to learn true grit, discipline,

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and how to nurture their raw talents through hard work. It's one of the vital ways our investments in our kids come together to transform them from students into real-world difference makers. Speaking of the many ways our students develop those same life skills, pass it over now to Eastview High School Assistant Principal and Athletic

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Director Matt Percival, who will talk about our district's athletics. Thank you. >> Thanks, Bill. Good evening, everyone. I'm here to share a few of the the highlights about the athletic side of things here in District 196. Couple of the stats that that jump out at right away. We have over 600 adults

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throughout our district working with our high school athletes. Each of those is member are are member schools in the Minnesota State High School League, and each of those coaches gets trained in the Inside Out philosophy as part of being a member of the Minnesota State High School League. That's what's also known as

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education-based or purpose-based sports and activities. It's what makes us different from club sport. This is the point that schools don't just teach athletic skills, but those lifelong skills and core values as well. While the goal in sports is still performance outcomes to win a game, run

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a certain time, score so many points, etc., that greater purpose in high school sports is much bigger. It truly is about the human growth and development of each student focused around the core values of each program and throughout District 196. So, now that you know a little bit about the

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why, here's a little bit about the what. District 196 offers 37 different Minnesota State High School League athletic activities. District-wide, approximately 46% of our high school students have participated during their high school time in one or more Minnesota State High School League

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sports. In addition, thanks to a recent partnership that we've used district-wide to collect more um data and feedback, we're pleased to report that in totality, that total participation rate also closely mirrors our district's demographics.

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District 196 was represented of those 37 State High School League turn State tournaments in 31 of those State tournaments just throughout the last 25, 26 year. Highlighted, of course, by the State championships who've been here before you that you've met earlier this year or tonight, Rosemount girls

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basketball, Eastview boys volleyball, Rosemount baseball, and three of a possible six State championships won by our Dakota Hawks adaptive athletes in this past year. In addition, our District 196 teams have claimed 13 South Suburban Conference

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championships, and as many who stood here before have touted the great success and also the great challenge that it is to be a South Suburban Conference champion. And 105 of our graduating seniors have committed to go on and compete in collegiate athletics.

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Success for our athletes was not just limited to the athletic field as several different teams from all four high schools were recognized as academic gold teams, had individuals receive academic all-state honors. Collectively, our most involved students have also found great success

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in the classroom, not just on the athletic fields. So, here's just a little bit about that how to give you a scope of the offerings of what we do here in District 196. This past year, we sponsored over 5,000 athletic competitions involving District 196 students.

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Danny Duchene will be up here shortly from the finance department. The finance department processed over 6,000 pay vouchers that were processed for game workers, site managers, and game officials. There's and that doesn't count all the people that were there that didn't actually get paid for their time and and

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service when they were there. Obviously, it means that when we're able to put on those types of activities for the community, that this is more than just about athletics. This is about an entire community event. So, what's next? Well, first of all, as we We here last year, we talked about

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what might be coming with some holes in the ground that looked like activity centers are really starting to come to fruition. Couldn't be more excited as those will begin to open here this fall. Another huge thank you to the board and to the community for supporting those efforts for continued opportunities.

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Second, the continued growth of opportunities at the Minnesota State High School League level is something you've heard about. Several different athletic club sports continue to move towards potential high school league status, including girls girls flag, girls wrestling, and e-sports to name a few that were on the docket this past

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spring with the high school league. These opportunities don't happen without a lot of people, a lot of resources, and a lot of support. Since I joined the district back in 1994, we've been able to increase our district participation from at that time 25 Minnesota State

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High School League sports to with the potential addition of these three climbing over 40. We're thankful to the board as our community and as well as to our community partners who help make all of these opportunities possible for all of our students, and we look forward to that continued partnership on how we

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continue to best support these programs. In conclusion on the athletic side of things, the stats and numbers are certainly impressive, but all those will be forgotten in time. However, the memories, the life lessons learned through kids participation in District 196 athletics will most undoubtedly last

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a lifetime. And with that, I'd like to invite Rosemount Principal Pete Roback Roback to the podium to share some highlights regarding activities. >> Good evening, everyone. Thank you, Matt. I'm here to talk about kind of the fourth A, activities. In the framework of academics, arts, and

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athletics, activities, typically grouped together with the arts, play critical and often underestimated role in shaping a well-rounded high school experience. Whether categorized under the arts umbrella or recognized independently, student activities contribute

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significantly to students sense of belonging, connection to school, and the development of meaningful relationships with both peers and staff. So, what is an activity exactly? Student activities encompass a wide variety of clubs, programs, groups, and teams that

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are not necessarily governed by the Minnesota State High School League for athletics, and do not fall strictly within the visual or performing arts. So, examples range from student-led interest clubs like Best Buddies or Baking Club to competitive programs such

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as Speech and Debate, Ultimate Frisbee, Quiz Bowl, Distributive Education Clubs of America, or DECA, and BPA, which is Business Professionals of America. Again, we're great at acronyms. One of the most powerful aspects of the

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activities program is the opportunity for student leadership. If a club does not currently exist, high school students are encouraged to propose and create one. Each high school in District 196 has a defined process in place for students to submit a proposal,

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articulate the club's potential impact on the school community, and number three, secure a staff member to serve as an advisor. Recent student-led club initiatives at high schools in District 196 include the Filmmaking Club, a Welding Club, Rocket

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Club, and Women in STEM Club. All District 196 high schools support affinity clubs, which serve as safe and powering spaces for students to build community and celebrate identity. These clubs often lead service projects, organize outreach efforts, and host

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cultural celebration events for students and families. Current affinity groups in 196 include the Black Honors Association, Black Student Union, Latino Student Union, Muslim Student Association, Somali Student Association, Asian Student Association, Native

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American Student Alliance, and Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Several activities enhance students' academic experiences while providing opportunities to compete at local, state, and national levels. And we've heard about some of these examples already this evening. They include chess

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team, bowling team, fishing team, trap team, science Olympiad, Quiz Bowl, math team, and many more. Participation in student-led clubs and activities continues to rise across all District 196 high schools. As you can see from the slide,

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participating numbers are strong as evident from competitive activities consistent in all District 196 high schools. Over 250 students district-wide this past year participated in debate. Over 280 students district-wide in

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speech. Nearly 150 students in robotics. And nearly 500 students district-wide in our two business leadership-related activities, DECA and BPA. Our students regularly demonstrate excellence in leadership with individual

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and team achievements at competitions that reflect a strong culture of engagement and support throughout the district. Accomplishments from just this past year alone saw over 50 District 196 high school students advancing to national competitions in robotics, speech,

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debate, BPA, DECA, and Health Occupations Students of America, HOSA. As you can see, the AAA philosophy is alive and well in District 196 schools. To close our presentation, I direct your attention to the screen where a brief video will be played that summarizes our

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students' experiences and opportunities with our AAA philosophy. Thank you. >> [cheering] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> So, as we conclude the AAA report, I want to thank our students, our staff,

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our families, our community partners who make these opportunities uh possible. In addition, we'd also like to thank you, our school board, for your unwavering support of our AAA philosophy through your attendance at events and your commitment to investing in our programs. Your support creates

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meaningful opportunities for our students and it helps make our academic, arts, and athletic programs among the very best. Looking ahead, our next steps are to continue expanding opportunities for student engagement, strengthening equitable access across all schools,

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and using student voice and participation data to guide our work. We will We'll our successes while also identifying areas where we can remove barriers and create even more pathways for students to discover their strengths, their passions, and future aspirations. Thank you.

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>> Thank you. Um are there any questions or comments from the audience? Seeing none, are there any questions or comments from the board? Robin, you had your hand up right away. >> I did. I did. I did. Um these things often happen very

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seamlessly to the people who attend. Um but it's not done without the work of many people. I just want to um recognize all the coaches, staff, the administrators, the building maintenance and grounds staff, the transportation workers who make this happen. Um I'm

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really grateful for all these opportunities for our students so they can find their place and their people, but it would not happen without all these other people who have dedicated their time to this. I have seen all of you at events uh late into the evening on a weekend making sure that things

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happen seamlessly. So I just want to say thank you. >> Uh Jackie. >> I can't agree with you more. One might one of the things that I love the most about going to graduations is when people ask, "If you've been in this,

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please rise. If you've been in this, please rise. If you've been in academics, if you've been in athletics, if you've been and we and the pen having almost the whole senior class standing and that is power. That is we have built and you

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have built and all of you have built a community of people who are hugged together and it always makes me proud when I see coaches like Hadley this af- this this evening who is a graduate of Rose- of Rosemount High

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School coming back to share her gifts with the students that are graduating today. So, thank you all for what you've done. Continue the good work and as we move forward, I don't know why the high school state high school league doesn't have, you know, doesn't doesn't see

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things as easy as we do, but that's okay. They'll they'll they'll get it soon. But, thank you so very very much. >> Leah. >> Uh yeah, I mean, I think just building on that I what I love about this is is that there's something for everyone and I

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think that's just hugely important. Not every student is going to excel um you know, at the same thing. So, I'll just go on the record that I'm fine if we need to become a quadruple A um philosophy because

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I I mean, I think truly the activities fills a gap where, you know, there there are kids who don't fall into the don't excel necessarily in the in the first three. So, I mean, it's sort of seriously, but um I don't care if we if we say it, we're

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doing it um is is more important. And then, you know, it's still on the academics too. I'm thinking about is there something for everyone cuz again, not everyone is going to be even going, you know, necessarily going to college. So, I appreciated seeing the variety there including more technical

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courses um and just one one thing I wanted to maybe ask for in the future just I spent all day um really examining the relationship between income and uh educational outcomes.

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It is the number one driver of outcomes more so than race. So, um if we could uh include that when we're sharing demographics in sort of where we're where we're capturing different populations, I think it'd be really interesting to look at our free and

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reduced price meal households which all day we're we're really we're going to fix that metric to make it uh stick. So, using that or or some some income metric to to continue to look at our lower-income families and if they're

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finding their place. Thank you. Did you have something to say, Sakoude? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> I just wanted to give a huge, you know, thank you to you all because you, you know, coming to us here to give us the

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update really it it means a lot. You know, part of your beside the, you know, your daily job you know, just giving us these numbers, informing us itself it means a lot. I think uh as uh what Robin has said, I mean it

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takes a lot. Uh all those numbers, the achievements that we have seen, the numbers, the engagement is really striking, right? I mean, there is something for everyone and that's what we really want. You know, it is indicates the district

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culture that, you know, our students are not only choosing one pathway but multiples of opportunities to explore while they are in while they can, right? Things do get expensive at some point but here they are exploring and figuring out what

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opportunities, you know, what they want to specialize. I think I cannot say enough uh but it's just uh it goes to uh you know, that infinite possibility. At one point we used to have lifelong success, right? Lifelong learning and success but that it gives us, you know,

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that infinite uh possibilities that exist out there and that we making sure that our students have the opportunities. I just wanted to say thank you, sir. >> I want to add to that um I want to do a shout-out to the audiences who show up too. Maybe that's that fifth.

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>> [laughter] >> uh Because that is part of the high school experience or the the experience too of the students is being the support that comes. So, you know, there is something for everyone and sometimes it's just being the audience and experiencing that.

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And there is lots out there. So, there is something for everyone and sometimes it's just being in the audience and experiencing it and supporting the community that way. So, thank you. This is inspiring and exciting to be able to see that. And so, thank you all for

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sharing that with us. Thank you. All right. Next is the Superintendent Year-End Evaluation. I will be presenting that on behalf of uh Corey who could not be here today. Um so,

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let's see. At the special meeting held at 5:30 p.m. on June 15th, the school board met with Superintendent Bolsan to conduct the Superintendent's Year-End Evaluation pursuant to MS 13D.05 subdivision 3A.

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Okay. The school board uses the MSBA goals and standards-based superintendent evaluation model to guide its discussion and evaluation. The board's discussion focused on the superintendent evaluation parameters and goals set by the board at the September 15th, 2025 special

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meeting. The board concluded that Superintendent Bolsan is meeting overall expectations. We discussed strengths and accomplishments and uh concluded that successful passage of the capital projects levy,

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effective implementation of new assessment tools including FastBridge, and significant progress in strategic planning and board reporting. We identified that there are for continued growth, including further connect data reporting to strategic plan

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outcomes, continue to streamline communication with families and community members from diverse backgrounds, and expand cultural proficiency initiatives across the district. The school board expressed appreciation for Superintendent Bosoni's leadership and ongoing commitment to advancing the

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district strategic priorities. At this time, there is no action is At this time, no action is required. Next on the agenda is old business. So, we will be doing the 2026

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preliminary budget, which is presented by Danny Duchaine, coordinator of finance. This is an action item for the board tonight. So, before we move into questions, is there a motion to approve the 2026 preliminary budget as presented?

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>> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> So, Secouden, motion by Secouden to approve. Seconded by Leah. Okay. So, go ahead. >> All right. Good evening, Vice Chair Williams, members of the school board,

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Superintendent Bosoni, and the District 196 community. District administration tonight presents the 2026-27 preliminary budget for a second reading and a recommended approval. The preliminary budget was presented to the board at the June 8th meeting for its first reading and review.

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The following slides provide just a very brief summary review of the preliminary budget presented at that June 8th meeting. Included in your board package tonight is a final version of the preliminary budget book, which will be posted on the district's public finance website later this week, assuming approval this

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evening. To orient ourselves with the district strategic road map, kind of tying all of the celebrations in the AAA, Quad A, Quintuple A. >> [laughter] >> I don't know if that's correct. Uh all of the great things that we've

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talked about tonight really starts here. The board's action approving the budget allows all of those things to come to fruition. As such, on our strategic road map, the budget really focuses on the resources strategic priority, connecting um our students with the people, the

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buildings, the supplies, the curriculum to make everything else happen. The 2026-2027 preliminary budget includes budgeted revenues of $825 million with 67% of the of the budget coming from the general fund on the revenue side and 13% budgeted for the

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building construction fund. Of that $825 million, about $410 million is slated for state aids. $170 million is coming from property tax levies from the District 196 community. And $100 million is set or is earmarked

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for the third issuance of the bond proceeds for the building construction projects that are currently in progress. That third bond bond issuance is currently slated for spring of 2027. On the expenditure side of the equation, the preliminary budget includes nearly

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$909 million in expenditures across all funds with the same two funds, the general fund and the building construction fund, accounting for the largest two shares of expenditures. It is anticipated that the 2026-2027 fiscal year will be the largest construction year from an expense standpoint since the building

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construction projects began in 2023. This slide provides an overview of all funds and the projected change in fund balance. The total projected change in fund balance of for the preliminary budget is a reduction of $83 million dollars primarily due to the spend down within the building construction fund.

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Overall projected fund balance as of June 30th, 2027 is just shy of $313 million. District administration will return to the board in December and January with the final budget and at this time we'd like to respectfully recommend approval of the 2026-2027 preliminary

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budget and I'd also entertain any questions that you may have. >> Okay. Um are there any are there any questions or comments from the audience? Seeing as there are none, are there any

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questions or comments from the board? Okay. All right. So, uh now we'll take a vote. All those in favor of approving the preliminary budget as presented, um please say I. >> I.

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>> I. >> Opposed? Okay, it passes on a five to zero vote. >> Thank you. >> All right. Next is the administrative regulation 8.0801.5 AR, community use of district

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facilities, presented by Kaya Bruce, Director of Community Education. >> Good evening, Vice Chairperson Williams, members of the board, and Superintendent Bossony. This is the second reading of the proposed updates to administrative regulation 801.5 AR, community use of

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district facilities, therefore action is required this evening. Community Education is seeking to establish rental rates for the new activity center gymnasiums and to revise existing high school gymnasium rental rates in preparation for the opening of

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two new activity centers in 2026. Because these facilities were not in existence when the current fee structure was established, rental rates have not yet been identified. To inform this recommendation, community education staff conducted a market

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comparison of activity center and high school gymnasium rental rates across neighboring and comparable districts. Based on this analysis, we are recommending a consistent per court per hour rate structure across both facility types at the high schools.

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The proposed rates, which range from no charge for class one users to $60 per hour for class four users, fall within the range charged by peer districts. These rates are designed to support operational sustainability, promote equitable community access, and provide

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administrative simplicity. Community education is also recommending a $5 increase to the daily rental rate per audio-visual equipment. In addition, minor language edits have been made to better align with district standards, and the fee schedule has been

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reformatted to ensure ADA compliance. At this At this item is being presented as old business this evening, action is required, and at this time, I respectfully request your approval of the proposed rental rates as outlined in regulation 801.5

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AR. >> Okay. This is an action item for the board tonight. So, before we move into questions, is there a motion to approve administrative regulation 801.5 AR, community use of district facilities as presented? >> So moved. >> Second.

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>> Motion by Robin, seconded by Jackie. >> Yes. >> Okay. All right. At this time, are there any questions or comments from the audience? None from the audience? Uh are there any questions or comments for the board members?

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Okay, we'll move to a vote. All those in favor? >> I. >> I. >> All those opposed? Passes on a five to zero vote. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Other action, property and casual insurance renewal

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presented by Adam Wattenbarger, Barger, general counsel. >> All right, good evening Vice Chair Williams, members of the school board, and Superintendent Bolsoni. I'm here with another action item tonight for our property and casualty insurance renewal. Um just as a little background, District

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196 is one of seven members of a property and casualty insurance pool we call ALPS. That stands for the Alliance for Liability and Property Services. Uh the member districts have a pooled loss fund to pay for most property and liability losses and claims, and then

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the members cooperatively purchase insurance to cover the larger potential losses. Um the cost of participation is determined annually, and advanced written notice is required to leave the pool. Um this cost includes the district's loss fund contribution, administration fees, and the cost of the

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premiums for those insurance packages that cover claims in excess of the loss fund. Um coverage lines include uh property, liability, automobile, crime, excess property and liability, errors and errors and omissions, equipment breakdown, pollution, and cyber

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insurance. Uh this year's cost to District 196 is $2,317,766.66, which is actually a 3.7% decrease over last year's rate. Um and that's in spite of us adding some new properties and new square footage to our schedule. Um

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decrease is largely attributed to a change in the excess property insurance package design. Our ALPS administrators created a new type of program that it's designed specifically for public entity pools and it spreads the risk across multiple insurers, so allows us to get a

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more favorable rate in the market. So, feel pretty good about where that came in. Um and so, the administration recommends that the board approve the Alps insurance package renewal and authorize us to bind the coverage for the next year. >> Okay, this is an action item for the

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board tonight. So, before we move into questions, is there a motion to approve property and casualty insurance renewal as presented? >> Second. >> Motion by Jackie, seconded by Robin. At this time, are there any questions or

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comments from the audience? Seeing none, are there any questions or comments from the board members? >> Good job. >> All right. Um Okay, is there a Now, we'll take a vote. All those in favor of approving property

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and casual casualty insurance renewal, please respond by saying I. >> I. >> I. >> Okay, all those opposed? All right. Passes on a five to zero vote. Next on the agenda is compensation and

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benefits for non-licensed specialists, non-union administrators, and special staff presented by Joel Meltier, Director of Human Resources. >> Thank you. Good evening, Vice Person Vice Chairperson Williams, school board members, and Superintendent Bolsoni. Uh it is the administration's pleasure to

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be recommending changes in compensation and benefits for non-licensed specialists, non-union administrators, and special staff for the '26-'27 and '27-'28 school years. These recommendations have taken into account general compensation and benefit trends, the district's recent collective bargaining settlements with other

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administrative and non-administrative employee units, and the school district's budget guidelines. The following specific changes are recommended. Increase in wages and longevity by 2.1% each year. Increase the district contribution to health insurance by 12% in year one and 9% in

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year two. Increase in the 403b matching contribution by $100 each year and then other miscellaneous language modifications and clarifications that are minor to the contract. So it is our pleasure again to recommend the approval and comp of the compensation and benefits for

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non-licensed specialists, non-union administrators, and special staff as presented for the board's consideration this evening. >> This is an action item for the board tonight. So before we move into questions, is there a motion to approve the compensation and benefits for non-licensed specialists, non-union administrators, and special staff as

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presented? >> So moved. >> Okay. Motion by Robin, seconded by Leah. Okay. At this time, are there question Are there any questions or comments from the audience? Seeing none, are there any questions or

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comments from board members? Okay. At this time, we're going to take a vote to approve the compensation and benefits for non-licensed specialists, non-union administrators, and special staff as presented. All those who approve, please respond by saying I.

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>> I. >> Those opposed? All right. Vote passes on a five to zero. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Next. This is not it. All right. Joel, do you want to come back up?

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We're not doing this one? Okay. Never mind. Joel, you don't have to come back up. Sorry. All right. Okay. >> All right. Next on the agenda is board member and superintendent superintendent updates.

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>> Yep, so I'll start. >> So we'll start, yes. >> Okay, so um thank you. This is the final week for Camp Propel Middle School Academy extended year services and other summer school learning programs. I want to thank our staff and our families for making these opportunities possible and for supporting continued growth for our

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students throughout the summer. Our Connections program for multilingual students continues throughout the summer. This program pairs students with staff mentors to build relationships, strengthen connections to school, and support student success. Parent Square's translation features help mentors and

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families communicate with each other in their preferred languages. Finally, I want to remind families that we have free summer meals and they are available for all children ages 18 and younger. Please visit our website at district196.org for meal locations,

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dates, and service times. And this concludes my report. Thank you. >> Perfect. Are there any board members with updates to share? No. All right. Uh so we'll move to adjournment adjournment. Motion to adjourn the

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meeting. >> So moved. >> Second. >> All right, motion by Jackie, seconded by Sackett. All right, all those in favor to adjourn? >> Aye. >> Aye. >> Those opposed?

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All right, vote passes at a 5-0 vote. Uh meeting is adjourned. Our next regular meeting is Monday, July 13th, 2026.